Curtis Salgado is cool. See him on Phuket in February.

Curtis Salgado is one cool cat–and he will be in Phuket for the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival from 25-26 February, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel, Kata Beach.

Salgado, who will headline the festival, is credited as being the man who inspired and mentored John Belushi for his role in The Blues Brothers mega hit movie.

Salgado won the coveted Male Artist of the year 2010 at the Blues Foundation Awards in Memphis, Tennessee. Charlie Musselwhite, who headlined the festival last year, has also been nominated for an award at the 2011 awards, known as the Oscars of the blues industry.

Salgado’s story has a Lance Armstrong ring about it. Just as the great cyclist beat cancer, so Salgado was diagnosed with liver cancer and told he had eight months to live unless he had a liver transplant. No money, no life.

Enter the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, the Phantom Blues Band and many more legends of blues, friends of Salgado’s who raised the money through benefits, auctions and private donations. Two years after the diagnosis Salgado was declared “clean.”

Other leading acts at the Festival include Mason Ruffner who will bring his band from new Orleans. Ruffner has performed with Bob Dylan and toured with U2, Jimmy Page, Ringo Starr, Crosby, Stills and Nash and many others.  He wrote “Angel Love,” a song made famous by Santana.

Blues Brothers John Belushi’s Inspiration To Play Phuket Jazz Festival is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Teischa Jones: just 13 but already a big talent.

Australian teenager Teischa Jones is set to be a music star after recording tracks at the Legend Music recording studio in Boat Lagoon. Teischa and her parents have lived in Phuket for seven years, but recently moved back to Australia for the children’s schooling and also, says her mother Deb, “due to Teischa’s desire to more involved in the performing arts”.

Teischa, who is just 13, says she has been singing all her life, “mostly in the shower”. But she got serious about it when she was 10. “I took up guitar about three years ago,” she told the Observer, “and I have learned most of what I know from the Internet. [Song] writing is something that I have just begun doing recently. I had played around with some of my own songs before but never really completed anything.”

The catalyst was meeting Deb and Gary Crause, who own Legend Music, Phuket’s first and so far only high-end recording studio. “Having the opportunity to be able to record made me realise that I didn’t want to record covers. I really wanted to write my own songs. I was really surprised at how quickly I was able to do this. “I started with the song Shooting Stars [click to listen] – I had been talking to my 14-year-old cousin who was struggling with some family issues and I really want to say, ‘Hey, its all going to be OK – you’re going to be great’. The words and the music just came together perfectly.”

Her mother says that the Crauses “were wonderfully supportive and made time for her to record.” Mum, too, is behind Teischa 1,000 percent. “I believe it is important for all kids – adults too – to have a passion and go for it. Regardless of whether you make it or not, there’s so much you gain on the journey.

“I don’t think young people today need to be locked into one profession; education is so easily available and changing directions not really that scary.” Friends, too, have been supportive, Teischa says. “They have all been really positive; I’ve had some really great comments from the songs I put on YouTube. Teischa is a big admirer of American singer-songwriters Colbie Caillat (“I love her style of music and her voice.”) and Tracey Chapman (“Her songs have so much meaning and she really makes you feel what she is singing.)”

There are distinct echoes of the two singers’ styles in her recordings. But that’s only part of her inspiration. “I believe that it is important to go through life being positive so I think many of my songs stem from that. I care about people and the environment so I am inspired by the beautiful moments we experience and the beautiful things we see.

“Growing up in Thailand has opened my eyes to different cultures and ways of life and has also made me realise the importance of our environment s you’ll notice many lines about nature.”
So far, performances have been limited to friends and family but, she says, “this is something I really want to start doing a lot more of. I want to be able to continue to write and hopefully get the opportunity to record a full CD of my original songs. So this is her career? “Absolutely!” she says.

* To listen to Teischa performing two more of her songs, go to the following YouTube links: Little Things; Live Your Life.

A new recording star is born in Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

ML Usni Pramoj: New work.

The programme will consist of two works: Joseph Haydn’s String Quarter in F Major (Op 77, No 2) and a new work by ML Usni, the String Quartet No 1.

ML Usni says of this new piece, “I began to work on [it] in the middle of April 2010, when the nation was facing its most serious crisis in recent years.

“The first movement portrays rural life, a life by no means luxurious, but adequate in its simplicity. In the second movement [Red Shirt] demonstrators sweep over Bangkok and now occupy key areas of the city.  Government attempts at peaceful negotiations are swept aside. Violence breaks out.

“The third movement expresses an outpouring of grief for the hurt inflicted upon this lovely nation. The final movement does not tell a story because such has yet to come to pass. Instead it expresses the hope that Thais will come together to rebuild the nation, that we shall once again be united in peace.”

ML Usni will play viola, accompanied by Tasana Nagawajara and Siripong Tiptan on violin and Kittkhun Sodprasert on cello.

A barrister by training, ML Usni has served in the Judge Advocate General’s Office and in the Ministry of Defence. He was head of the Royal Property Management Office and is a Privy Councillor.

But it is for his music that he is probably best known in Thailand. A highly accomplished viola player, he founded the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and in 1994 was named a National Artist for his music.

He comes from a remarkable family of over-achievers of royal lineage (they are descended from the 18th Century Thai king, Rama II). His father, MR Seni Pramoj, trained as a lawyer, and was later appointed Thai Ambassador to Britain. During World War II he helped organise the Seri Thai – the Free Thai movement – to fight the Japanese and the Thai government that was collaborating with the invaders.

Post-war, he was one of the founders of Thailand’s Democrat Party. He became prime minister for a short time in 1975, but was defeated after a matter of months and replaced by his younger brother, MR Kukrit Pramoj. Kukrit’s government failed a scant 13 months later, and Seni again stepped up.

His timing was bad, however. The violent right-wing backlash against student demonstrations that climaxed in the Thammasat University massacre of October 1976 saw him forced from office by the military. Seni retired from politics and went back to being a lawyer.

Usni’s uncle Kukrit, was an extraordinary polymath. Apart from being a politician, he was also a banker, an actor, a writer of fiction, history, philosophy and religious works, and the founder of Siam Rath newspaper.

The Villa Royale evening begins at 6pm with cocktails, followed by the performance at 7pm. Tickets for the cocktails and concert alone are B500, or concert-goers may opt to join a special dinner afterwards, at B1,600 a head, or order from the à la carte menu.

For more information or to book, contact Sylvie Yaffe by email or call +66 (0) 76 333 568.

Delight for Phuket’s fans of classical music is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Job2Do

It’s taken a while, but Phuket now has its answer to Koh Pha Ngan’s full moon reputation – the Phuket Roy Fest. Granted, the Roy Fest is not every month, but it has big names that Pha Ngan would find it hard to match.

The festival (“Roy” means, roughly, “cool” in southern Thai dialect), takes place on June 25 and 26 at Karon Beach. The 26th sees a full moon rise shortly after 6pm. Roy Fest will feature a line-up that includes such Thai stalwarts as Reggae artists Job2Do and Fourgasm, ska bands Joe Fox and Tamone, hip hop band Buddha Bless and a load of deejays, including platter-meisters from Singapore, Japan and Ireland. Here’s the full programme:

Friday June 25
6-7 pm –  Joe Fox (Ska)

Buddha Bless.

7-8 pm  - Job2Do (Reggae)
8-9 pm  - Mahajamruen (Electro Live)
9-10:30 pm – DJs Thanathron (Techno)
10:30 to midnight – DJs Activa (Electronica)
Midnight to 2 am – DJs Agnelli and Nelson (Trance, Electronica – from Ireland)

Saturday June 26
6-7 pm – Tamone (Ska)
7-8 pm – Fourgasm Live Band (Reggae)
8-9 pm – Bhuddha Bless (HipHop)
9-10:30 pm – DJs Spydermonkee (Drum & Bass)
10:30 to midnight – DjB (Electronica – from Singapore)
Midnight to 2 am - DJs Yogi (Trance, Electronica, Techno – from Japan)

And the best thing is, it’s free.

Phuket’s own full moon party is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The event, “Phuket Live Vol 1 on the Beach” (that’s a catchy name) will take place at Nong Harn Beach, just north of the Karon roundabout. It starts at 5pm. Tickets are B1,500 each.

Artists will include Tuk Viyada, Koh Mr.Saxman, E.T.C., Kel Dela and the Indy Jazz Band. It’s organised by the Phuket Provincial Government, the Karon Municipality and the shadowy Black Cheese Love, about whom we can tell you nothing.

The last major concert at this venue featured Kenny G, and was a big hit. A tough act to follow.

While we’re on the topic of music events, Club Lime in Patong is organising a Latin Carnival weekend for May 29 and 30. This will consist of a Latin cruise on the first day (pick-up at Club Lime on the beach road). “Sexy Tequila girls and prizes” are promised. The cruise price of B1,990 will include a buffet meal on board, and three free drinks.

In the evening, starting at 9pm, Club Lime will be the venue for a Latin Foam Party. We’re not quite sure what this is, but there is a vaguely titillating video here. The evening will feature a set by the dance group Samba Thriller and you get canapés three free drinks in the price of B400.

The following day the Latin Beach Party starts at 4pm, with tapas and two free sangrias in the entry price of B990. At 9:30pm Samba Thriller will  encore, and Latinos Sabotage will put on a samba  workshop to try to help all those people with two left feet.

¡Ay, arriba, arriba!

Jazz and Latin on the beach is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Richard Clapton (left) and Charlie Musselwhite.

Andy Andersen, organiser of the annual Phuket Blues-Rock Festival, which takes place on February 26 and 27, has organised a couple of intimate dinners for small groups of people to get to know the two headliners – Charlie Musselwhite and Richard Clapton.

The first, with Australian rock hero Clapton, takes place on the 24th at the Baan Rim Pa restaurant at the north end of Patong, while the dinner with Musselwhite will be the following evening at Twin Palms. Dinner will run from 7 to 10pm.

Diners will get a five-course meal with three wines, plus VIP tickets to the festival and CDs signed by the musicians. Plus, of course, a promise of fascinating conversation and anecdotes.

There are just six places for each of the meals and in both cases, two have already been booked. Andy has asked us not to mention the price, but it will be more than your average bowl of noodles. You can ask him by emailing him. The festival website is here.

Fine food, wine and blues is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Franck Blanchard is the band's bassist

For romantics who enjoy jazz, French group Jazz Cool Band (JCB) will play a one-night gig in Phuket Town on February 14 – Valentine’s Day – in the Suan Chaleamprakiet 72 years Queen Sirikit Park (next to the Tourism Authority of Thailand offices on Thalang Rd).

The nine-piece band – which includes sax, clarinet, piano, bass, trombone, trumpet, bugle and drums, fronted by Jean Louis Nguyen Qui on vocals and sax – have two agendas: to promote the big-band jazz sound, and to help raise money for charity. In the case of the Phuket concert, organised by the Rotary Club of Tongkah, the funds raised will go to improving the the library at Bang Niew School in Phuket Town.

This is JCB’s first performance in Phuket, but the band are no strangers to Thailand. They played charity concerts in Bangkok in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Last year they did a tour that took in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok and Khon Kaen. They have also released four CDs, each linked to raising charity funds.

Their repertoire includes jazz classics by musicians such as Glen Miller, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, along with favourites performed originally by crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Nat King Cole.

They also sing in French, Brazilian and Chinese, and since coming to Thailand, have added some of HM the King’s jazz compositions. – sure favourites with Thai audiences – to their playlist.

In Phuket, the band will be the highlight of an evening of entertainment featuring a classic and exotic cars show and a performance by the Phuket Youth Chamber Orchestra. These, on ground level, will be free, with the gates opening at 5pm.

JCB will play on the upper floor, above the car park, from 7 to 9:30pm, with a half-hour break at 8pm. Tickets to their performance will cost 1,500 baht apiece.

For samples of JCB in performance, visit their MySpace page.

Phuket feast for Jazz lovers – and charity is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Charlie Musselwhite is the headliner on Day 2 of the event. Photo by Mikesfox.

Woaaah! Clapton’s going to play in Phuket. Yup, that’s right – Clapton, Richard Clapton. From Australia… Poor guy must get this all the time, which is actually unfair. In his native Oz, Richard’s been an icon for a long time, and some of his melodic rock songs are still on every Aussie FM station playlist.

While he may not quite be up in the stratosphere with Eric, he’s been there and done that – went on the trail to London in the ’70s, and later to Germany, drawing applause from fellow troubadors Neil Young and Jackson Browne, before scoring critical and public acclaim as long ago as 1975, with his second album, Girls on the Avenue.

Richard is just one of the stars lined up for the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival, on February 26 and 27 at its usual venue in the grounds of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. He’ll headline Day 1 of the event.

Richard Clapton - big name in Oz.

The Phuket festival just gets better. The headliner on Day 2 is top blues harp player and vocalist Charlie Musselwhite. Originally from Mississippi, he cut his teeth in the Chicago blues scene in the early ’60s alongside such greats as Elmore James, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. He soared to fame with Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s Southside Band in 1966, and has since gone on to release more than 20 albums, and has guested on other albums by the likes of Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt and INXS.

The festival will feature six acts per night, including regulars the Rich Harper Band from the US, KNiKi from Australia, George Cordeiro and the Fai Jang Blues Gang, and local Phuket heroes Tony “Chainsaw” Wilson and Rob Davies. New to the festival next year will be world music band AkashA from Malaysia, Latino Blues meister Andy Gonzales, Robert “One Man” Johnson (both from the US) and Bangkok’s Retrovision.

For more information, contact Andy Andersen, Festival Director, at +66 (0) 86 682 2639; email: phuketmusic@yahoo.com, or visit the festival website. For tickets see this page.

Clapton and others for Phuket blues fest is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Nantida Kaewbuasai.

In the West, the glitterati go to an Elton John concert, or maybe Bruce Springstein. In Phuket, the Thai glitterati go to see Nantida Kaewbuasai.

Nantida is famed for her 1980s ballad Bawk Noi Dai Mai? (Could you tell me?) and is a big favourite with those who are, shall we say, no longer as young as they might like to be.

She’ll be singing a one-night stand in Phuket on March 7 to raise funds for the Sunshine Village, which looks after kids orpahned or otherwise affected by the 2004 Asian Tsunami.

The concert will be at the Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town. Tickets range from 1,000 to 2,000 baht, or 10,000 baht for a table of ten. Contact Vilaiwan Dienel on 08 1397 1567 or email Liana at info@phuketlp.com – and mingle with the cream of Phuket Thai society.

To listen to Bawk Noi Dai Mai?, click here.

Classy Night Out, Phuket Style is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.